Why can’t I just throw away a sprouting potato? Why do I feel sorry for them? I see a potato sprouting in the kitchen and my first thought is “Bless your heart!” I am pretty sure potatoes don’t have hearts . . eyes, but not hearts! <G> In my mind, they’re trying so hard to live; they’re so easy to grow and one potato will provide so many more potatoes. If Vince sees a potato in the bin that’s sprouting, he knows to throw it out before I see it but . . apparently he hasn’t been noticing them because I found these yesterday.
Three sweet potatoes and two white potatoes. My options were to plant them or toss them. There likely isn’t enough time for them to produce before a frost but if I threw them in the trash, there’s no chance for them to produce. A third option would have been putting them in the compost bin but then forever we would have potatoes growing in the compost bin and I didn’t want that.
As of today, I have 84 days til our average first frost on October 21. There are faster growing potatoes that will be ready in 75 days. Yukon Gold is an early harvest type potato. These could have been Yukon Gold, though they look more like Russets but they are a bit wonky from all the sprouting. I’m hoping for Yukon Gold. There are late season potatoes that take 120 days. Russets are in that camp. These were grocery store potatoes and who knows what they are. I planted them in grow bags but it’s the 30 gallon grow bags so moving them to the greenhouse in late fall isn’t an option. I can cover the bags if it looks like it will be a one one night frost but honestly . . they’re potatoes and by October 21, I’m probably going to be wishing everything in the garden was gone.
Most winters here, even the nights that were well below zero, potatoes accidentally left in the ground or in grow bags have sprouted and produced the next year. My preference is to get all the potatoes out before the freeze and start anew each spring
Sweet potatoes take about the same amount of growing time – 85 to 120 days so it’s about the same time for them as it is for the white potatoes.
I stuck those 5 potatoes in a grocery sack and started downstairs with them when Vince appeared.
Vince: What’s in the bag?
Me: You don’t want to know.
Vince. Potatoes! It’s potatoes, isn’t it? Tell me you aren’t planting more potatoes!!
Me: What did you want me to do . . just let them die. Look at them!
He just shook his head and kept walking. He’ll be thanking me if we have fresh sweet potatoes at Thanksgiving! 🙂
Tee says
I am the same way but do limit my planting to spring because we have such a short growing season here in Minnesota. I told my husband that I am going to put in less potatoes next year so I can have a small flower cutting garden. I hate to cut the flowers for vases inside in my beds around the house. I want those beds to be beautiful and in full bloom. Besides, we had lots of potatoes left this spring, fresh ones, ones in jars and some in the freezer. We don’t need all these potatoes!
Susan Nixon says
LOL, he will. Even a small potato is better than no potato. “Fulfill the measure of its creation” is a phrase that comes to mind. They sprouted to do just that, and I say help them when you can! =)